Charlotte the Stingray- of Viral Pregnancy Fame- Has Died E- News

Transcript

00:00Charlotte the Stingray, who went viral after allegedly getting pregnant by

00:03herself, has died. Just weeks after a Hendersonville, North Carolina aquarium

00:08announced that Charlotte the Stingray was, in fact, not expecting, they've

00:12delivered even more shocking news. The aquarium and shark lab by Team Echo

00:16makes the announcement in a Facebook post June 30th, saying, we are sad to

00:20announce, after continuing treatment with her medical care team and specialist,

00:24our Ray Charlotte passed away today. Charlotte first made a splash back in

00:28February when the aquarium announced the round stingray, estimated to be

00:32between 12 and 16 years old, was carrying as many as four pups, despite being the

00:37only stingray living in her tank. And though the Ray did share living quarters

00:41with two bamboo sharks named Moe and Larry, the assumption was that she had

00:45undergone parthenogenesis, a type of asexual reproduction in which an embryo

00:49develops without fertilization from sperm. The aquarium was on pup watch for

00:53several months and posted videos of Charlotte during that time. However, the

00:57organization's owner, Brenda Raymer, later confirmed to WLOS News 13 that the

01:02Ray wasn't expecting. In a May interview, Raymer told the Asheville-based outlet

01:07that Charlotte actually has a reproductive disease and veterinarians

01:10had diagnosed the Ray with diapause, noting, we're still trying to understand

01:14a lot of these terms ourselves. Raymer also addressed speculation that the

01:18aquarium had made the whole thing up, telling WLOS, I can't control what

01:23people think. I can only tell you what we know for certain. I've never been a liar.

01:27This was not a scam. This was not anything made up. But people do that.

01:30People have their own thoughts. Announcing plans to temporarily close

01:35the center, the Facebook post added, the Team Echo family appreciates your

01:39continued love and support while we navigate this great loss.

01:57Yeah.

02:00Yeah.

02:02Mhm.

02:04Mhm.